Australia & Pacific | Viator Travel Blog

Adelaide: Australia’s Most Underrated City

15. June 2009

South Australia’s capital, Adelaide, must be Australia’s most underrated city. It’s also one of the country’s most attractive cities with lush botanic gardens, shady parks, charming beachside suburbs, elegant historic buildings and splendid old churches. In short, it’s the kind of city that makes you want to explore it on an old-fashioned bicycle with a cane basket on the front.

Top Things to Do in Tahiti and French Polynesia

9. June 2009

1 Comment

Top Things to Do in Tahiti and French Polynesia

Since the mutinous days of Captain Bligh, Tahiti and French Polynesia have symbolized paradise for South Pacific travelers. The soaring volcanic peaks, white sand beaches, and emerald lagoons continue to feed escapist dreams. French Polynesia also caters to adventurers and sightseers; the colorful histories of ancient Polynesia and French colonialism have produced many vestiges to explore.

Faster, Cheaper, Better: One Day in Sydney

4. June 2009

2 Comments

Faster, Cheaper, Better: One Day in Sydney

So, I had one day in Sydney – what to do? For starters I booked into a hotel in the middle of the city, the CBD. I figured that would be close to everything important – Opera House, the harbour, Darling Harbour etc. Of course, to be within budget, I had to find one at the dodgy end of town – up near Central Railway Station, away from the Harbour.

Australia: Places to See Before Ewe Die

1. June 2009

0 Comments

This is one of those jokes you have to tell right, ‘cos if you don’t it’s like taking the shell off an egg only to discover there’s no egg inside ‘cos you’ve clumsily coated it all over your messy little fingers and that’s not to say rather than your face. So, then. Here goes. There’s this [...]

3 Days: Uluru & Kata Tjuta

22. May 2009

1 Comment

First off, the awe-inspiring Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park is immense. Not Kakadu big, but big enough so that you need to plan your visit to the Red Centre with precision as some activities and sights are best at dawn, others at sunset, and certain things should not be done in the middle of the day – and there is plenty to do. This three-day itinerary covers all you need to best plan a visit to Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock). Uluru is not only a UNESCO World Heritage site, it's also Australia's most visited tourist attraction.

10 Reasons to Linger in a Town Like Alice

18. May 2009

1 Comment

10 Reasons to Linger in a Town Like Alice

For time-poor visitors to Australia's 'Red Centre', Alice Springs is merely a sleepover before visiting that big red rock in the centre of Australia. However 'The Alice', as it's known, offers far more than lodgings for the night. For starters it’s the best place in Australia to buy Aboriginal art from the Central and Western Desert, with excellent galleries all within walking distance of each other. There’s also an engaging wildlife park, excellent day trips, and plenty of quirky events on offer as well.

Australia’s Top End

11. May 2009

0 Comments

Every year around May, as the spectacular storms of Banggerreng (the "knock 'em down storm season", as the local Aboriginals call it) start to become less frequent as the region moves into Yegge (the cooler but still humid season), the tourism machine of the Top End (the northern half of Australia's Northern Territory) shifts into top gear. The period marks the end of the wet season (October-April) and the National Park staff begin to grade recently impassable roads, clean up previously flooded camping sites, and remove new residents (saltwater crocodiles!) from the popular swimming holes.

Top Things to Do in Kakadu

6. May 2009

6 Comments

Australia's best-known national park, Kakadu, 150km east of Darwin, may be a ‘must-do’ on most travellers' epic around-Australia journeys. But we actually think it’s a destination in its own right, and one of Australia's top sights. World-heritage listed for both its natural and cultural heritage, Kakadu is best visited after the wet season ends in April-May, when the waterfalls are still spectacular and the heat isn’t too debilitating.

2 Days in Tropical Darwin

30. April 2009

3 Comments

For many visitors to Australia, Darwin is little more than the departure point for other more exotic adventures east, west or south, but Darwin is an intriguing city in itself. Weathering cyclones (occasionally), hungry crocodiles (generally), and air raids (during WWII), Darwin is a city that takes these events and the often-horrendous humidity in its stride. So, set aside a couple of days to get over that jet-lag, and take in the museums, markets, multiculturalism and, of course, the odd refreshing ale, in the steamy capital of the Northern Territory.

Return to New Zealand: Milford Sound & Queenstown

27. April 2009

1 Comment

Return to New Zealand: Milford Sound & Queenstown

I'm a proud Kiwi (even if I live in Sydney) and every time I head home to New Zealand I spend my time very enjoyably visiting friends and family. Which is great, but means I always go to the same parts of NZ. So this time I was visiting friends in Lake Hawea, outside Queenstown, and decided I would do some sightseeing.